The UFC athlete pay issue is a hot topic in the MMA community. With the impending free agency of reigning champion Francis Ngannou, many athletes are standing by seeing how it plays out.
Plenty of stars have gone back on better pay requests in the mean time
In addition to Ngannou and Jon Jones who had contentious negotiations with the UFC, bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling also decided to weigh in.
‘The Funkmaster’ took a shot at the UFC’s parent company, Endeavor, which reportedly generated a record of $1.1 billion of revenue last year.
In an interview with MMA Junkie, Sterling said: “It’s just the business aspect. They want to pay us less, we always want to get paid more.”
“And we all rightfully think that there’s more money that could be divvied out to the fighters because of how much money they clear.”
“It’s a public company, so we get to see those numbers. You mean to tell me if you gave us an extra 5% that’s gonna kill you guys? An extra 5% of upwards of 900 million?”
“I don’t know the exact number, upwards of over 800million dollars? I think you guys will survive, I think that’s the best way I could put that. It’s not being greedy.”
“I do understand the business model side of it, like not every fighter is bringing viewers to the program or putting butts in the seats, but at the same time we are the product that people are tuning in to see.”
“So whether or not we are the big name, fighting under the UFC umbrella means that we are worthy of being watched on national television — international television on a global level.”
Sterling last competed at UFC 273 earlier this month, securing his first title defense with a controversial split decision win over Petr Yan.
Sterling is estimated to have earned close to $492,000, while his opponent Yan earned an estimated $182,000.
Endeavor executives Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell banked around $304 million and $121 million respectively.
Seeing Endeavor officials reap the benefits while the athletes pay the steep prices doesn’t sit well with the fans.